Snapped-up sections net council $4.8 million

Twenty-four sections are being developed on Rakaia Way, Parklands, Napier. Photo / Duncan Brown

Napier City Council sold close to $5 million of property when it released 28 sections in its Parklands Residential Estate.

Yesterday it was reported that more than 20 people queued in sweltering weather in the hope of buying a section at 8am.

NCC policy engineer Steve King said while all the $4,864,000 of land sold in under an hour and a half, this was not unusual.

He said lots were based on what NCC sold land for last time plus a slight mark-up due to inflation.

"We had 14 sections on the last release and they went under an hour," he said.

"There are always people queuing up, whether they be builders or private buyers, there are always people here eager to snap them up."

He said there was a bit of a mixture in the queue with both builders and private buyers looking to purchase.

"You just don't know what is going to happen on the day," he said.

At the end of the sale he believed most people got what they wanted.

"There were a few people who couldn't get the section they wanted and declined to take a section," he said.

"But then there were some latecomers who took the option to take what was available."

Hawke's Bay Today reported yesterday on complaints made - one being that a developer was stacking the queue with agents, hoping to secure several of the properties. Napier Mayor Bill Dalton said at the time he was concerned about the problems raised.

Yesterday he said he had received some complaints on his desk which he had yet to address.

"If there are some issues with the procedure or the process we are going through then we will simply deal with them," he said.

The lots ranged in size from 440 to 696sq m, and were priced from $162,000 to $181,000.

The land was part of Lagoon Farm, which was transferred to the council from the Hawkes Bay Harbour Board, as the board was phased out in the local government reorganisation of 1989.

Yesterday's release will take the number of serviced sections made available to 461 in a development which also includes roadways and reserves, such as extensions to the Park Island sports grounds.

Mr King said from here NCC takes the details of the prospective landowners to pass on to their lawyers who will then send out the sale agreements.

Once that is settled he said the new owners should be able to start building by January or February.